Page 2 | Do you know anyone who gets paid to do so little?

dankehause · 2022-09-20T11:51:25+00:00

I have a friend who works for a cyber security firm working from home. He does two hours of work a day, then will go about and do as he pleases. His boss knows he's waiting on more work and are very relaxed about it. He is paid £45k a year and graduated three years ago. Does anyone know anyone else who has a similar job and what do they do?

caroleanboneparte · 20/09/2022 14:37

I've known people in big orgs to sit on their phones most of the day.

There's so much skiving at work it's unbelievable!

I've left jobs where I've been bored and not had enough to do.

Kind of regret that now...

TimeToGoUpAGear · 20/09/2022 14:43

Me. I could do my job in a day and a half. Very well paid. It will probably get busier but until then I'll just stress about whether they'll realise and make me redundant! I offer to do more but my manager's manager keeps saying not to as then they'll think we don't need a bigger team!!!!

EmmaH2022 · 20/09/2022 14:45

So I should look among civil service and big companies?

Shareornotwhocares · 20/09/2022 14:46

Work in IT

paid 90k plus benefits.

wfh - if I’ve nothing to do I’ve nothing to do and I mark my time as unutilized

need to be available between 9 and 6 - reckon I average 5 hours a day

PlntLady · 20/09/2022 14:47

GoldPig · 20/09/2022 13:14

Project manager for a local authority. £45k salary. A typical week has three or four meetings, all of which could be an email. There’ll be some background work, spreadsheets, emailing, a couple of reports. Basically I could do my job as a 1 day rather than 5 day week.

I'm a project manager. This couldn't be further from my job. If there were 10 days in the week I'd still need more. Lol.

TeeBee · 20/09/2022 14:48

YourLipsMyLipsApocalypse · 20/09/2022 13:12

Sure, footballers get paid a lot (well, some do some are in good but not amazing money).

My friends husband has double training sessions 4/5 days a week, plus match day. They don't get Christmas Day off because there's always a Boxing Day match, etc.

So yes they are well paid, but from my experience they also put the hours in, hours at the gym every day whether you want to or not, and so on.

I agree! Professional footballers work hard. My DP is in the industry and there's very little time off. I agree they get overpaid, but its not true that they do very little for it.

YukoandHiro · 20/09/2022 14:49

@GoldPig but isn't that rubbish for you because you have to be present all the time? If you were a project management consultant could you earn a similar salary on one day a week? (Or loads more on 3 days, say)

AngelicaElizaAndPeggy · 20/09/2022 14:54

Um, where does he work, please? Do they need anyone else?

Asking for a friend.

GoldPig · 20/09/2022 14:57

YukoandHiro · 20/09/2022 14:49

@GoldPig but isn't that rubbish for you because you have to be present all the time? If you were a project management consultant could you earn a similar salary on one day a week? (Or loads more on 3 days, say)

It would be if I wasn’t working from home most of the time. The more we are pressured to be present for the sake of it the more I will seek out a more mutually rewarding set up

SafeguardingSocialWorker · 20/09/2022 15:00

The local government ones really annoy me because there are swathes of social workers/ OTs working for local authorities that are vastly underpaid for what they do and completly overworked.

I see the project management type jobs being advertised on the intranet at £10k more than I'm being paid and look at them and know I could probably do them with my eyes shut and often there's no post graduate qualifications even required for them.

But I don't apply for them because I take pride in what I do and the qualifications and experience I have in supporting the most vulnerable people. The pay is insulting though especially when you know others are doing far less for far more.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 20/09/2022 15:06

I started a new job six months ago and its already clear that it could easily be done in two days rather than the five I work. I'm hanging on until after Christmas then suggesting dropping days or job hunting, its just not busy enough for me.

selfieseptember · 20/09/2022 15:13

The local government ones really annoy me because there are swathes of social workers/ OTs working for local authorities that are vastly underpaid for what they do and completly overworked.

^^This. I'm a local authority social worker. There are not enough hours in the day to safeguard everyone who needs it. Hugely understaffed. High pressure. Crap wage.

oldwhyno · 20/09/2022 15:17

South Cambs council have recently confessed that their staff could do their jobs in 4 days, and want to "trial" only actually doing 4 days for the same money.

www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/02/cambridgeshire-council-poised-to-be-first-in-uk-to-trial-four-day-week

In reality they're probably only doing 2-3 days worth of work a week! I would expect to see more of this sort of thing in the public sector.

WinterWonder2021 · 20/09/2022 15:17

Me. Admittedly I earn a lot less than others on this thread but my job isn't busy at all. I earn 27k working in recruitment. The problem is that our manager has employed far too many people for our team and there just isn't enough work to go around all of us. There are 5 people when 3/4 would have been enough (she knows this but not much she can do about it now). Luckily we work from home 3 days a week so I just go on my phone/watch a film/tidy the house etc if I have nothing to do, harder in the office as she's watching us so we need to look busy but it's manageable as it's only 2 days. I use to feel guilty being paid to do minimal work but she was told that we didn't need anyone else and chose not to listen so it's her own fault really. I only stay because the hours are good and job is easy.

StJeanDeVence · 20/09/2022 15:26

Me. I was even thinking of starting a thread about it the other day but thought I'd get flamed!

At the moment, I'm working maybe 2-3 hours a day, because that is genuinely all that is required of me. My work diary is more or less empty, and I'm even putting in extra meetings and doing little bits and bobs because I'm bored. I'm WFH and the house is very, very clean!

However in a few weeks' time, things will step up a bit and I will be much busier, so I don't feel too bad about a fallow period now. It's the way my job goes, but overall I definitely don't 'need' to be full-time - I could do this job quite easily in 3 days.

But I'm highly qualified, have years of experience and am very good at what I do - that's what I get paid for, not the hours my arse is attached to an office chair.

IVFGotThis05 · 20/09/2022 15:34

Fuwari · 20/09/2022 14:35

I work approx 2.5 hours a day. Paid for full time, reasonable wage. Luckily wfh so get lots done round the house and in the garden, have lots of home based hobbies I can do. I’m in my 50s and was ready to slow down, no desire to climb further up the ladder etc. So I wouldn’t swap. I’m perfectly happy. I can’t imagine how I’d fit everything in now if I actually did have to work full time hours.

Ahh this sounds ideal. I'm 33 and looking to start a family, I only imagine I could have more time at home ! I currently work for NHS full time in lab for pennies ! 😫

PrincessofWales · 20/09/2022 15:40

I'm paid about £45k a year. I work probably half a day and skive the other half. Some days are busier. I have lots of time to be on Mumsnet.

emilysquest · 20/09/2022 15:53

I am a very high earner (over £300k a year) and "on paper" I do way less than a full day's work most days. I work for myself, mostly from home, and work as and when I please. However, it took me 20 years of studying to be able to do what I do, and I am very good at a very niche skill (a very specific area within a profession). And in reality I probably think about work and mull over issues a great deal of the time, which contributes to my output. There is no real fine line therefore between when I am "working" and "not working".

Hoppinggreen · 20/09/2022 15:56

That’s true
I am not just paid for 5 hours a day bit for almost 30 years of experience as well. I can accomplish a lot in a short space of time

SunflowerOrange · 20/09/2022 16:02

Princess what do you do?!

waytoocynicalforonesoyoung · 20/09/2022 16:06

A vicar. Barely lifts a finger. Can't even be bothered to pray for people. Actually, make that 2 vicars. So much idleness in one church.
(I'm sure there are plenty of hard-working vicars around, just wish I'd meet one at my church)🙁

TightPants · 20/09/2022 16:16

SafeguardingSocialWorker · 20/09/2022 15:00

The local government ones really annoy me because there are swathes of social workers/ OTs working for local authorities that are vastly underpaid for what they do and completly overworked.

I see the project management type jobs being advertised on the intranet at £10k more than I'm being paid and look at them and know I could probably do them with my eyes shut and often there's no post graduate qualifications even required for them.

But I don't apply for them because I take pride in what I do and the qualifications and experience I have in supporting the most vulnerable people. The pay is insulting though especially when you know others are doing far less for far more.

Totally agree with this

Carrieonmywaywardsun · 20/09/2022 16:24

I'm a personal assistant and work from home. When I'm working full time I do about an hour or two of work per day, the rest of the time I do what I want as long as I have my phone on me. My full time salary is around £75k, I get paid more for busy days and events and get benefits from the job (gym membership, private health care, childcare for kids under 5).

DoIHaveTooo · 20/09/2022 16:24

waytoocynicalforonesoyoung · 20/09/2022 16:06

A vicar. Barely lifts a finger. Can't even be bothered to pray for people. Actually, make that 2 vicars. So much idleness in one church.
(I'm sure there are plenty of hard-working vicars around, just wish I'd meet one at my church)🙁

How do you know they aren't praying for people?

TheHumanExperience · 20/09/2022 16:30

I know people who drag out 2 hours of work, into an 8-hour working day. Busy doing nothing, but 'looking' busy all day.